Let-off and take-up mechanism for looms.



No 779,397. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. W. R. BURROWS.

LET-OPP AND TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 4, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W/ TNE SSE S: N VE N 70/? No. 779,397. PATENTED, JAN. 3, 1905. W. R. BURROWS.

LET-OFF AND TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1903.

4 sums-min 2.

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WITNESSES.

INVENTOR 2 :25 -ATTOHNEY No. 779,897. PATBNTED JAN. 3, 1905. W. R. BURROWS.

LET-OFF AND TAKE-UP MEGHANISM FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILE]; MAY 4, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WI TNESSES: IN VENTOH WTTORNEY No. 779,397. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. W. R. BURROWS'.

LET-OFF AND TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1903.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

' ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT ()EEICE.

LET-OFF AND TAKE-UP MECHANISIVIFOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,397, dated. January 3, 1905.

Original application filed February 24,1903. Serial No, 144,598. Divided and this application filed May 4, 1903. Serial No. 155 ,468.

T (Ll/Z 1071,0711 it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. BUERoWs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let-Off and Take-Up Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 144,598, filed February 24, 1903, for Letters Patent for improvements in looms.

The invention relates to improvements in looms; and it consists in the novel features, arrangements, and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

I illustrate myinvention in this application as embodied in a loom for weaving wire-cloth of the character required for use in papermaking machines,this wire-cloth being of very fine mesh and requiring the utmost uniformity throughout its entire extent.

The loom illustrated in the drawings presents some Well-known features, these being the warp-beam, breast-beam, cloth-beam, laybeam frame, and heddles, all of which perform their usual duties in the customary Inanner. My invention pertains more particularly to the let-off mechanism for the warp wires or threads, or, in other words, the mechanism whereby the warp wires or threads are fed from the warp-beam and pass upon the clothbeam, and the said invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation of a loom constructed in accordance with and embodying power-shaft of the loom, this elevation hav' ing been taken from the left-hand side of the loom. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of the clutch-wheel shown in Fig. 5 and coacting parts, Fig. 6 being presented to represent more especially the two parts of the clutch, this clutch being an ordinary pinclutch. Fig. 7 is a top view of same and illustrates an arm having a cam edge for cooperation with the pin of the clutch. Fig. 8 presents an edge and face view of a star-wheel forming a part of the take-up mechanism for the loom. Fig. 9 is an enlarged top view of a part of the operative mechanism shown on a reduced scale in Fig. 4. Fig. 10 is a vertical section of same on thedotted line 10 10 of Fig. 9; and Fig. 11 is an enlarged View, partly in section and partly broken away, showing the connections between the heddle-operating rock-shaft and one of the heddle-frames.

In the drawings, designates the general frame of the machine, 21 the left-hand side of said frame, 22 the right-hand side thereof, 23 the warp-beam from which the warp wires or threads 24 unwind, 25 the clothbeam upon which the finished cloth is wound, 26 the breast beam over which the cloth passes to the beam 25, 27 the rear heddle, 28 the front heddle, and 29 the lay-beam frame, all of the features just enumerated being in themselves of ordinary well-known form, construction, and purpose and requiring no specific description herein, it being only necessary to state at this place that the warp wires or threads 24 pass from the warpbeam 23 through the heddles 27 28 and thence in finished fabric around the breast-beam 26 and upon the cloth-beam 25 and that the lay- ICC bered 35, and it is connected with the shaft 31 by the corresponding gear-wheels 36 37, one being fast on the shaft 31 and the other being loose on the shaft 35, and it is my purpose that the shaft 31, gear-wheel 36, and gear-wheel 37 may run idly until an electromagnet 38 becomes energized by an electric circuit and by pulling downwardly on the front short end elevates the rear longer end of an arm 39, the said arm 39 being in the form of a pivotally-mounted bar normally having its longer end, which is beveled at one edge, in engagement with the projecting portion of a spring-pin 40, Figs. 6 and 7, mounted in a clutch-hub 41, adjacent to a clutchwheel 42 on the shaft 31, the beveled end of the arm 39 when in its normal or lower position preventing the pin 40 from entering any of the series of apertures, Fig. 5, in said clutch-wheel 42, and consequently preventing the rotation of the shaft 31 and clutch-wheel 42 from being communicated to the hub 41 and parts carried by or operated therefrom. Under normal conditions the clutch-wheel 42 will rotate with the shaft 31, being fast thereon, but will be prevented from communicating motion to the hub 41 until the rear end of the arm 39 has been elevated by the action of the electromagnet 38 to leave the pin 40 and allow the latter at its inner end to enter one of the apertures in the clutch-wheel 42 and connect thereby said wheel and hub together. The hub 41, carrying the springpin 40 and the apertured clutch-wheel 42, are of usual construction and constitute simply one convenient and well-known form of pin-clutch. The elevation of the beveled end of the arm 39 by the action of the electromagnet 38 or by any other means that may be adopted for the purpose therefore permits the motion of the shaft 31 to be communicated to the hub 41, and the motion of this hub 41 is utilized through an arm 43, carried thereby, to elevate a pivoted arm 44, Fig. 4, for the purpose of permitting the pin 145, Figs. 9 and 10, of a clutch-hub (fast on the shaft 35) to engage a clutch-wheel 46, loose on said shaft and in one part with the gear-wheel 37, loose on the said shaft 35. When the pivoted arm 44 is in its lower initial position, it prevents the pin of the clutch hub 45 from connecting with the clutch-wheel 46, and hence when said arm 44 is in its lower position the gear-wheel 37 and clutch-wheel 46 may turn idly upon the shaft 35; but when the arm 43, carried by the hub 41, is permitted to turn up under and elevate the pivoted arm 44 the pin of the hub 45 will at once engage the clutch-wheel 46, and at such time the motion of the shaft 31 will be communicated through the gear-wheels 36 37, clutch-wheel 46, and hub 45 to the shaft 35, the latter being thus set in motion and enabled to communicate motion to the parts to be operated therefrom. The clutch-hub 45 is secured a crank-arm 47, to whose outer end is pivotally secured one end of a link 48, Fig. 3, the'other end of which is pivotally connected with the toggle-levers 49 50, these levers being pivotally connected together and the lever 49 at its outer or rear end being pivotally secured to a bracket fastened upon a stationary part of the general frame 20, while the outer forwardly-projecting end of the lever 50 is pivotally and substantially centrally secured to the lever 51, whose lower end is pivotally mounted in a bracket, Fig. 3, and whose upper end is, by means of a link 52, pivotally connected with a bracket carried by the lower portion of the lay-beam frame. During each rotation of the shaft 35 the lay-beam frame 29 will have two movements in an outward direction imparted to it through the togglelevers 49 50 in a well-known manner, the said levers 49 50 51 and link 52 being well known in this art. Intermediate the two outward movements of the lay-beam frame 29 during each rotation of the shaft 35 the heddleframes 27 28, which are of usual construction, change their positions in the ordinary manner. The heddle-frames 27 28 are attheir upper edges connected by bands 53 passing over pulleys 54, and the lower ends of said frames 27 28 are connected, as usual, by sprocketchains 55 passing over sprocket-wheels 56, the bands 53 and chains 55 serving to maintain the due relation of the heddle-frames to each other and to sustain and guide said frames during their movements. The heddle-frames receive their movements through a rock-shaft 57, Fig. 2, and a suitable intermediate link connection 58, passing to the heddle-frame 27, the lower ,end of the link 58 being pivotally connected with a crank-arm 157, Fig. 11, fast on the said shaft 57. The rear portion of the rock-shaft 57 is provided with a depending crank-arm 59, whose lower end is confined within the grooves of the cam 60, secured on the driving-shaft 35, this cam having its grooves crossing each other, so as to accomplish the shifting of the lower end of the arm 59 from one of said grooves into the other thereof and the rocking thereby of the shaft 57 for the purpose of imparting the usual movement to the heddle-frames. The cam 60 is illustrated in Fig. 4 and is of well-known form and construction. After the lay-beam frame 29 has completed its double outward movement the cloth-beam 25 will receive its motion from the shaft 35 through an arm 61, secured on said shaft '35, a shaft 62 having at its rear end a star-wheel 63, Fig. 8, to be enwarp-beam 23.

gaged by said arm 61, the worm 64 on the front end of said shaft 62, and the train of gears 65, 66, 67, and 68, which are set in motion by said worm 64 and which gear 68 is fast upon the shaft of the said cloth-beam 25. The cloth-beam 25 receives an intermittent rotary movement from the shaft 35 through the instrumentalities just described and which are not of unusual construction, nor are they claimed herein. It is to be understood, however, that the cloth-beam 25 has only a slight rotary motion imparted to it with each complete rotation of the shaft 35.

The features hereinbefore described may, so far as this applicationis concerned, be'considered of known form and construction, and they are presented in order that the special invention sought to be protected, hereby may be clearly understood, and this invention resides in the means for keeping the warp strands or wires 24 under a proper tension and for securing the unwinding of said strands or wires under proper control from the These means embodying my invention will now be described.

Upon the right-hand end of the shaft of the warp-beam 23 is secured a sprocket-wheel 69,'

Fig. 2, which is connected by a sprocket-chain 7 O with a sprocket-wheel 71 upon the righthand end of a shaft 72, extending transversely across the upper end of the loom-frame and having upon its left hand end, Fig. 3, a sprocket-wheel 73, upon which is looped the sprocket-chain 74, this chain 74 being endless and passing downward from the left-hand edge (looking at Fig. 3) of the wheel 73, around a pulleywheel 75, thence upwardly over the small sprocket-wheel 76, thence downwardly from the left-hand edge of said wheel 76 and upwardly along the right-hand edge of the large sprocket-wheel 73 to the point of beginning. The small sprocket-wheel 76 is formed upon or connected with the band-wheel 77, over which a flexible band 78 passes, the band 78 at one end being fastened to the pivotpoint 79 of a lever 80, while the other end of said band 78 is fastened to said lever 80 at a point 81, which is slightly removed from the pivot-point 79 of said lever. The lever 80 is pivoted to the frame of the loom at the point 79 and at its forward or front end is given a tension downwardly by reason of a coiled spring 82, which spring serves the same purpose as would a weight placed on the forward end of said lever. To the lever 80 is pivotally secured the upper end of a rod 83,whose lower end is slotted, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 3, and passes upon the pin 84 of the pulley-wheel 75. The pulley-wheel is connected with a pivoted arm 85, which aids in keeping said wheel in about a given relation 'to the adjoining portion of the loomframe and allows said wheel to have a limited vertical movement. A strap 86 is suspended from the pin 84, and from this strap is suspended a rod 87, upon which may be strung any suitable number of weights 89, these weights serving to pull downwardly on the pulleywheel 75 and sprocket-chain 74 and resisting the unwinding motion of the warp-beam 23, thereby placing the warp wires or strands 24 under tension. The number of weights 89 employed will vary with circumstances; but sufficient weight will be employed to place the warp-strands 24 under required tension. During the winding of the cloth upon the cloth-beam 25 the warp-beam 23 must give off from time to time the warp-wires 24, and during the winding motion of the warp-beam 23 the weights 89 may by the pull exerted on the chain 74 by the wheel 73 become gradually elevated; but it is my purpose to prevent the weights 89 from traveling upwardly to any undue extent, and in the construction presented the upward movement of the weights 89, due to the action of the sprocket-wheel 73 turning upwardly and toward the front on the chain 74,will be continued only until the pin 84 of the pulley-wheel 75 reaches the upper end of the slot in the lower end of the rod 83 and turns the lever upwardly to a suificient extent to loosen the band 78 upon the wheel 77, upon the happening of which the wheel 77 and small sprocket-wheel 76 will be free to turn and will pay out a limited amount of the chain 74 to the pulley-Wheel 75, and thus allow the weights 89 to again move downwardly to the limit of motion permitted by the slot in the lower end of the rod 83. When during the descent of the weights 89 the pin 84 engages the lower end of the slot in the rod 83, said rod will be pulled downwardly bysaid weights and tighten the band 78 upon the band-wheel 77. The small sprocket-wheel 76 will pay out the chain 74 when the band 78 is released in the same proportion that the wheel 73 has wound up said chain. The band 78 operates as a brake, and it prevents the wheel 77 and sprocket-wheel 76 from turning so long as the weights 89 are exerting their force against the chain 74; but upon a release of the band 78 from the Wheel 7 7 by the upward movement of the rod 83 the wheel 77 may rotate and pay out the chain 74. The upward movement of the weights 89 may be mechanically accomplished at each rotation of the drivingshaft 35, although this is an alternate method of operation to which I do not limit my invention, but which I consider very desirable. For the purpose of elevating the weights 89 momentarily at each rotation of the shaft 35 1 mount at the rear of the general frame 20 a rock-shaft 90, having the crank-arm 91 at its left-hand end in position to pass up under and elevate the weights 89, while at the other end of the said rock-shaft is provided a similar crank-arm 92, Fig. 2, in position to be engaged by the projecting portion of a cam 93, mounted on the shaft 35. During each rotation of the shaft 35 the cam 93 will move upwardly against the crank-arm 92 and turn the rock-shaft 9O sufficiently for the arm 91 at its left-hand end to move upward against and elevate the weights 89, thus momentarily taking the strain of the weights off of the Warp-Wires and allowing the cloth-beam 25 to wind and the warp-beam 23 to unwind. The employment of the rock-shaft 90 and crank-arm 91 to elevate the weights 89 enables me to at the proper time take the strain of the Weights off of the warp-wires 5%, and When the rock-shaft 90 and its arm 19 are not employed the strain of the weights 89 remains on the warp wires 24. With each elevation of the weights 89 by means of the rock-shaft 90 the brake-band 78 is momentarilyloosened on the band-wheel 77, and the sprocket-wheel 7 6 may pay out the chain 7 4: in the same pro-portion as the chain is taken up by the wheel 73, this loosening of the band 78 having the same effect as the loosening of the band 78 by the upward movement of the weights 89 when the crankarm 91 is not employed. In accordance with either method of utilizing the weights 89, chain 74;, pulley-Wheel 75, sprocket-wheel 76, band-wheel 77, and brake-band 78 the weights 89 will be prevented from elevating to any substantial extent, and said Weights will at all times be enabled to create the proper tension upon the warp-Wires 24. The effect of the Weights 89 is to place the proper tension on the Warp-strands, and these weights when mounted and controlled as hereinbefore described will maintain said tension with substantial uniformity. The mechanical lifting of the weights 89 to take the tension off of the warp-strands as the cloth is wound upon the cloth-beam is of advantage because by reason thereof the movement of the cloth over the breast-beam is facilitated and the danger which would arise of rubbing or injuring the cloth by moving it while under tension over thebreast-beam is avoided. This same result is accomplished, though probably in not so satisfactory a manner, by the movement upward of the weights 89 to relieve the brakeband 78 without the aid of the crank-arm 91.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, combined with a driving-shaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said driving-shaft to said cloth-beam, the suspended weight resisting the paying out from the warpbeam and placing a tension on the warpstrands, brake connections intermediate said Warp-beam and weight and connected with said weight and held operative thereby, and means operable by the movement of said weight for relieving said brake from the strain of said weight to take the tension off of the Warp-strands when the cloth-beam is to take up the cloth; substantially as set forth.

2. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, combined with a driving-shaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said d riv' ing-shaft to said cloth-beam, the suspended weight resisting the paying out from the warpbeam and placing a tension on the warpstrands, and means for at intervals momentaril y relieving the strain of said weight from the Warp-beam when the clothbeam is to take up the cloth; substantially as set forth.

3. In a loom, the Warp and cloth beams, combined with a driving-shaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said driving-shaft to said cloth-beam, the suspended weight resisting the paying out from the Warpbeam and placing a tension on the warpstrands, means for retaining said weight in a substantially given position, and means for momentarily lifting said Weight to take its strain from the said strands When the clothbeam is in action; substantially as set forth.

4:. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, combined with a driving-shaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said driving-shaft to said cloth-beam, the suspended weight resisting the paying out from the warpbeam and placing a tension on the warpstrands, and means for momentarily lifting said Weight to take its strain from the said strands when the cloth-beam is in action; substantially as set forth.

5. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, combined with a driving-shaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said driving-shaft to said cloth-beam, the suspended weight resisting the paying out from the warpbeam, and placing a tension on the warpstrands, and means for retaining said weight in a substantially given position, for maintaining a uniform tension on saidstrands; substantially as set forth.

6. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, the lay-beam frame, and the heddles, combined with a drivingshaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said driving-shaft to the cloth-beam, the sprocket-wheel 69 on the shaft of the warp-beam, the shaft 72 having at one end a sprocket-wheel 71 and at the other end the sprocket-wheel 73, the sprocketchain connecting the Wheels 69, 71, the band-wheel 77 having the sprocket-Wheel 76, the pulley-wheel 75, the weight 89 suspended from said pulley-wheel, the sprocket-chain 7 passing around said pulley-Wheel and said sprocket-wheels 73, 7 6, the pivoted lever having the suspended rod 83 to be engaged by a part movable with said pulley-wheel, the band 78 passing around said band-Wheel 77 and connected with said lever 80, and means for elevating said weight at intervals from the driving mechanism, whereby said lever-arm 80 through the rod 83 will be moved to loosen the band 78 upon said wheel 77 for allowing the sprocket chain to pay off from the sprocket-wheel 7 6; substantially as set forth.

7. In a loom, the Warp and cloth beams, the

IIO

lay-beam frame and the heddles, combined with a driving-shaft, means for transmitting an intermittent motion from said driving-shaft to the cloth-beam, the sprocket-Wheel 69 on the shaft of the warp-beam, the shaft 7 2 having at one end a sprocket-wheel 71 and at the other end the sprocket-Wheel 73, the sprocketchain 70 connecting the wheels 69, 71, the band-wheel 77 having the sprocket-Wheel 76, the pulley-wheel 7 5, the Weight 89 suspended from said pulley-Wheel, the sprocket-chain 74 passing around said pulley-Wheel 75 and said sprocket-wheels 73, 76, the pivoted lever 80 having the suspended rod 83 to be engaged by a part movable with said pulley-Wheel, and the band 78 passing around said band-Wheel 77 and connectedwith said lever 80, whereby upon the elevation of the weight 89 and said pulley-Wheel 75, said lever-arm 80 through the rod 83 will be moved to loosen the band 78 upon said Wheel 7 7 for allowing the sprocketchain to pay off from the sprocket-Wheel 76; substantially as set forth.

8. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, and means for imparting an intermittent motion to said cloth-beam, combined with the suspended weightresistingthe paying out from the Warpbeam, a looped flexible means suspending said Weight and at one part at one side of said weight operatively connected with said warpbeam, and brake mechanism for holding said flexible means at another part, which is at the other side of said weight, and operable on the movement of said weight for relieving said brake mechanism to pay out said flexible means to said weight and thereby permit the return of said weight to its initial position; substantially as set forth.

9. In a loom, the warpand cloth beams, and means for imparting an intermittent motion to said cloth-beam, combined with the sprocketwheel 73 in operative connection with said Warp-beam, the band-wheel 77 having the sprocket-wheel 76, the pulley-wheel 75, the Weight 78 suspended from said pulley-Wheel, the sprocket-chain 7 L passing around said pulley-wheel 75 and said sprocket-wheels 73, 76, the pivoted lever 80, the band passing around said band-wheel 77 and connected with said lever 80 and drawn against said wheel by said lever, and means operable on the movement of said Weight for turning said lever to relieve said band-wheel and permit said sprocket- Wheel 76 to pay out said chain to said weight and thereby permit the return of said weight to its initial position; substantially as set forth.

10. In a loom, the warp and cloth beams, and means for imparting an intermittent motion to said cloth beam, combined with yielding means of predetermined force connected with the end of said warp-beam for resisting the movement of the latter in a direction to pay out the warp-wires and placing a tension on all the warp-wires, and means for at intervals momentarily relieving said warp-beam and wires from the resistance of said yielding means when the cloth-beam is to take up the cloth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 1st day of May, A. D. 1903.

WVILLIAM R. BURROWS. 

